


Pas de deux

by littlemsbookworm



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, I hope, Obligatory ball fic, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-02 08:17:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20272822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemsbookworm/pseuds/littlemsbookworm
Summary: She’s never had any interest in this type of activity before, but dancing with someone who actually knows what they’re doing is starting to make her see the appeal.





	Pas de deux

_“You can’t just skip out on the ball professor! You have to dance- it’s traditional!”_

It’s times like this that really make Byleth miss being a mercenary.

No matter that she’s far from being a noble lady, or that her usual attire isn’t exactly suited for elegant balls. No matter that she doesn’t know the first thing about dancing, or that while she may be quick and nimble in a fight those skills do not necessarily translate well onto a dance floor. No, all that seems to matter is _tradition_, and that’s why tonight she’s been dragged out to dance with everyone from Hilda to Hanneman to one of the dining hall matrons.

It’s been a less-than glorious evening for her; she hopes her various partners are having a better time than she is, because all she’s seemed to contribute so far is poor conversation (trying not to fall over and be a total embarrassment is taking precedence over quality banter for her) and stepped on toes. Her terrible dancing and distracted demeanor don’t seem to be losing her any admirers though, and by midnight it seems like she’s danced with almost every person in the monastery- student, teacher, or staff.

Her feet are really starting to ache and the dim candlelight is making her feel a bit dizzy, so when the latest song ends and she finally gets a few seconds of blessed relief she moves as far away from the dancers as possible. Hopefully no one will spot her in this corner, and she’ll be able to sneak away after she catches her breath. She looks over the large hall, trying to find each member of her House, the Golden Deer. She easily spots Hilda first because she appears to be forcibly dragging Leonie onto the dance floor. Byleth can’t help but smile a little- the huntress looks almost as uncomfortable tonight as the professor is. Marianne is hidden in the far corner looking ready to bolt at any moment, and Lysithea is sitting next to her on the floor reading a book, seemingly oblivious to the grand event taking place around her. On the other side of the hall, Raphael digs enthusiastically into the refreshment table- scaring away several younger students- while Ignatz dances with a girl from the Blue Lions, looking embarrassed but happy. She spies Lorenz approaching several girls from the Black Eagle House and hopes that she won’t have to have yet _another_ talk with him about personal boundaries.

_That leaves everyone but-_she feels a light tap on her shoulder and can’t help but groan. “Not another dance request…” she mutters, apparently not soft enough to stop the person behind her from hearing.

“Now Teach, is that really the proper way to react to a gentleman asking for a dance at a ball?” She turns to find Claude laughing at her surprised reaction. “Kidding, kidding! I’m sure they’ve been running you down all night. Otherwise you wouldn’t be hiding back here.”

“I’m not- I am not hiding.” She tries to sound indignant, but unfortunately he’s no fool.

“Oh please. If you liked dancing you’d be out there with Hilda torturing Leonie.” He glances over at the two. “That poor girl. But even so,” he turns back to Byleth and gives her a mock sigh, “I am going to ask you to dance. I mean,” he imitates Hilda’s perky voice, “_it is tradition~!_”

Before she can say anything in response he’s already pulled her out from her hiding spot and onto the dance floor, where most of the other students are now moving to a slow waltz. At least, that's what she thinks it is. She’s bracing herself for another four minutes of awkward shuffling when he puts his arm confidently around her waist and draws her into position with him. She wasn’t this close to any of her other partners, and she can feel a slight blush creep to her cheeks.

“I really can’t dance.”

He shrugs, unconcerned. “So? All that matters is that you look like you know what you’re doing.”

She can’t help but give a small smile at his air of complete self-assurance. If there’s one thing she’s learned about the enigmatic leader of the Golden Deer in these past few months, it’s that almost nothing fazes him. She wishes she had the same confidence about her dancing though. “If you say so…”

They begin to slowly sway in time to the music. Despite his nonchalance about her lack of skills, she’s still trying to focus mainly on not stepping on his toes. Yes, that’s definitely why she keeps looking down, and not because her heart is skipping faster from their close proximity.

“See?” he says after a little while, “You’re not doing so bad after all.” She glances up from the floor and meets Claude’s gaze for a second. He’s staring at her with a strange intensity that she’s never seen before. Has he always looked this good, or is it some trick of the candlelight that makes his eyes gleam in such an alluring way? She quickly looks down again.

“Only because of you,” she manages to reply. And it’s the truth- he’s as poised and smooth on the dance floor as he seems to be at everything else. With him leading, she doesn’t have to worry about staying balanced- he seems to know just how to turn and move her body in time with his. She’s never had any interest in this type of activity before, but dancing with someone who actually knows what they’re doing is starting to make her see the appeal. “This sort of thing is par for the course for you nobles though, isn’t it?”

“Probably. Wouldn’t know. I didn’t exactly have the same _illustrious _upbringing as the others here.” He shifts her a little closer to him. She feels the warmth of his hand on her back and almost unconsciously feels herself leaning into him. _Should I be dancing with a student like this?_ It’s a silly thought-she’s been dancing with students all night- but this feels quite different somehow, much more intimate. She hopes Seteth isn’t watching- the last thing she needs is a lecture on “appropriate instructor/student conduct.” 

She’s so focused on propriety and these confusing new feelings that she’s completely unprepared when he suddenly twists her out into a spin. She flails wildly for a second before he expertly spins her back to him, pulling her to his chest, all the while grinning mischievously.

She’s not sure if her blush now is from embarrassment at her terrible dancing or from how even closer in proximity they now are. The smell of pine resin, wood, and something earthy that she can’t name floods her as they continue to waltz together, and she fervently hopes that he can’t feel her heart thudding loudly in her chest. Maybe she does need that lecture after all, because she’s starting to feel a little _too_ comfortable here in his arms.

“You know Teach, you really are a puzzle,” he says, clearly amused, “on the battlefield you can take down axe-wielding thugs twice your size without a second glance, but something as trivial as a dance has you positively rattled.” He’s still giving her that knowing smile as he leans in just a little closer, their lips inches apart. “Or is that just because you’re with me?”

This is _definitely_ getting into “inappropriate conduct” territory. She’s a professor, and it is completely wrong to suddenly want to kiss a student in the middle of a major school event with a hundred people watching. But damn it all if she isn’t also a woman who wants to do just that. She realizes she’s smiling at the idea and quickly manages to stamp down that traitorous thought and pull her mouth into a frown instead. Too late.

“Oh? Am I right?”

_Yes._

“I think I’m a rather poor companion,” she replies coolly, trying to deflect. “Aren’t there others you’d rather dance with and tease tonight?”

“Nope. Truth is, I really dislike these sorts of events. The small-talk, the pomp and circumstance, Lorenz strutting around like a peacock-” -Byleth suppresses another smile at that mental image- “I have enough of that in my daily life already.”

She quirks an eyebrow. “Well, if you hate it so much, then why even be here at all? You weren’t forced to come.” _Like I was. _

“To dance with you, of course. Who knows when else I’ll get a chance to hold you like this? Nothing more romantic than a ball after all.”

…Did he just say what she thought he said? Is he teasing her again? Or is he (as that traitorous part of her chimes in hopefully) being serious for once? Does she _want_ him to be serious about that?

_No!_ says the rational part of her.

_Yes! _the other half responds more forcefully.

She’s so thrown by his statement that it takes her a few seconds to realize that the song has ended and everyone has stopped dancing. She’s certain her face is as red as the tomatoes in the greenhouse now and she _prays_ Seteth isn’t watching as Claude lets go of her waist and kisses her hand.

“Oh Teach, you truly are so much fun. I really enjoy seeing you blush.” He lets go of her hand and straightens up. “Thank you for the dance. But I think I’ve taken up enough of your time, for tonight at least." He winks. "Enjoy the rest of the ball.”

As he turns away from her and strolls casually from the hall, Byleth suddenly realizes that the room is on fire. Or wait, maybe that’s just her face. In any case, she needs to get out of here-_now-_ propriety, tradition, and this ball be damned.

She can hear Sothis’ giggling ringing in her ears as she sprints from the ballroom, now completely flustered.

“**_Oh, that boy is something else! You’ve really got it bad for him, don’t you? This _will_ be fun_**_…”_


End file.
